Narrative Strategy and Storytelling for Organisations
Helping organisations solve communication, engagement and change challenges through story
I had to synthesise the findings that needed to reach the executive leadership team. And the authentic communication captured in the last question changed my whole presentation. The biggest key themes and learnings were now framed in their own language.
If you are a member of the comms team in government or organisations, you have heard this many times. The decisions have been made, the policy set, the announcement is coming, and the strategic comms plan has been written. The first round of content has been deployed, and this is the first follow-up with the project team. And this is the feedback.
Strategic narratives are revealed, not designed. Organisations are made up of people telling stories all day, every day. They are sharing stories of their business, customers, projects, teams and direction. There is much to be learned about an organisation in the language teams use to describe their work, and in the moments they share about…
Roughly 80% of our daily communication is some form of storytelling. Not epic novels or keynote speeches. Small moments of your day, fragments of thoughts or anecdotes that illustrate a point of view. We toss around messages embedded in a story in meetings, conversations, and Slack channels. We are telling stories all day, every day, because that is how we understand each other and absorb information. It is how humans are wired.
On storytelling frameworks, a Hollywood sequel, and the thing that actually makes stories good. Think of the last movie you saw that made you cry. Or gave you a moment of validation or taught you something new. That moment in the film felt validating and real because a truth resonated with you. Let’s dive into…
A senior leader at a global employee experience company opened what she expected to be a routine email marking her fifteenth work anniversary. What she found instead made her cry. Her husband walked in, saw her on her phone in tears. He asked her what was wrong.
Scratch the surface of any human, and you will find a story that matters. The nurse who became a marathon runner after a breakdown. The accountant who grew up on a cattle station. The team leader whose decision to stay home one afternoon changed the trajectory of her family. These aren't dramatic. They don't need to be. They're real, and real is what connects us.
People working in communications, content, and marketing are thinking about their value. AI can produce copy quickly. Suggest your next strategic move or find holes in your comms plans. It is fast, reliable and never misses a deadline. Where does storytelling training fit into a world where everything that is known about the tricks of the trade of communication is still in an LLM? Why learn about or upskill in storytelling when it is all there for us to explore?
I have facilitated numerous workshops, strategy days, narrative sessions, and conference experiences. Regardless of the setting or participants, a consistent pattern emerges. Typically, the most senior, outspoken, or confident individuals are the first to contribute, filling the room with their perspectives. However, as the session transitions to deeper reflection, it is often a quieter participant who introduces a profound idea, causing everyone to pause and absorb the insight.
At the end of a period of strategic thinking and planning, I normally hear from leaders who want a narrative strategy. When they start managing the process of rolling out the strategy. They ask to tack stories onto the strategy. But this is not ideal. The stories should be embedded in every step of the process. From listening, collecting, collating, and activating your narrative. Especially now, in this time of convergence of changes. AI is reshaping how work gets done. Instability is rewriting assumptions about markets, supply chains, and workforce planning. People are carrying personal disruption into professional spaces in ways that are hard to ignore. Change is not arriving from one direction. It is arriving from everywhere at once.
Narrative Strategy and Storytelling for Organisations 